Voices from the streets: Citizens speak their minds on the fall of Mujuru’s party

Charles Mabhena

15 Feb 2017

Charles Mabhena

The recent circus that rocked Joice Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First party has got Zimbabweans putting their thesis into the ring.

The citizens across town have been debating for much of this past week, as they try to unravel what could be the cause and their implications to the opposition politics in the country.

Gugulethu Gondo of Seke Village near Chitungwiza says; “I think ZPF is indeed a genuine opposition party, but it had been infiltrated by President Robert Mugabe’s men who were planted to distabilise it.”

She said in her opinion Mujuru could be honesty in that she is against Mugabe’s rule and would want him voted out in the next election.

“Mugabe is so calculative, soon after he expelled Mujuru from ZANU PF, he also intentionally send Rugare Gumbo and Didymus Mutasa packing in disguise so that they found the party with Mujuru for later destruction,” added Gondo.

She went on to say that President Robert Mugabe knew Mujuru was capable of establishing a formidable opposition political party with a significant following hence the idea to plant Gumbo and Mutasa under false pretexts.

“They didn’t want Mujuru to join Tsvangirai, and the Mutasas and Gumbos are not happy seeing it happen because they are ZANU PF and don’t want to see Mugabe losing to MDC that would happen if Mujuru joins Tsvangirai,” she said.

Hazvinei Mukuwe of Unit O in Chitungwiza disagrees that Mujuru who has ZANU PF blood running through her veins and once pledged that she would remain ZANU PF to the bone is now a fully fledged figure. He instead says all of them have ZANU PF DNA.

He believes the whole ZimPF crew from Mujuru, Gumbo, Mutasa, and other seniors are a Mugabe’s creature.

He says even Jealous Mawarire; Mujuru’s spokesperson was once used by Mugabe to push for elections in 2013, the same as how he recently used a student in the case of the appointment of a Chief Justice.

“This is a Mugabe thing; he manipulates the system so that he can fragment the votes much to his advantage. One way or the other these guys will be readmitted into ZANU PF when the job is done,” he said.

He added that he feels sorry for the ZimPF followers for they have exposed themselves to Mugabe by claiming allegiance to Mujuru and Mugabe can now identify his enemies.

As if to cement the citizens’ guesses, President Mugabe once predicted that Mujuru’s party would break into sections and eventually fall sooner than later.

This recent havoc in Mujuru’s party, a party that had brought hope as evidenced by how it managed to have a sizable following in a short period of time that is second to MDC-T in terms of support base has dented the hopes of a united coalition. Though Mujuru has assured her supporters that the expulsions were not to affect the envisaged coalition of opposition parties, many have casted doubts of her party’s impact.

Even Morgan Tsvangirai who has been meeting his supporters across some provinces have been warned to be wary of fake opposition parties who might use this coalition thing to infiltrate his project, amid calls to do away with all parties who have nothing to bring to the negotiating table.

Is this the end of what seemed to be a best chance to dislodge Mugabe from his grip on power? Many have asked. Only time will tell.